[Insert South Park quote here]
I’m so unbelievably happy over your (and other) reviews of South Park: The Stick Of Truth.

II was so sure that this was going to turn out to be a terrible game and I was living with the hope that the script would make it worth playing through once… in essence something I would have to defend being on my games list.

But for the game to turn out to be good with the possibility that through refinement a sequel could be a great game. Well the joy is indescribable I shall be rushing out to buy a copy Friday.

Add to that I actually love the censorship issue because in itself it’s almost farcical. I look forward to the description pages and then just watching the content on YouTube/Dailymotion.irve77 (gamertag/PSN ID)

See it to the end
I must say that I am enjoying Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow 2. I was disheartened to see GC’s review as I took a punt on the first and enjoyed it immensely. OK, the voiceovers were phoned in and there are some really clunky controls but I had to see the resolution of the story because the first game ended on such a soap opera ending that I was transfixed.

The latest saga has many flaws (stealth sections, some dodgy platforming at times) but I am along for the ride so to speak. I feel in my heart of hearts that it wasn’t worth the £40 my wife paid for it (I pressured her into buying while she was away in Cumbria and I was left at home looking after Koopa). I would have picked it up when the price dropped but again I threw caution to the wind and thought ‘No, I really want this’ and I haven’t been too disappointed, maybe it’s just me!solidpete82 (PSN ID/ NN ID)

Nail meets head
With so many people writing in about there concern for single-player games becoming more uncommon in this generation I can’t help but feel it’s the way gamers play single-player titles that is the problem. AAA single-player video games tend to be the most expensive to create, and those with the best graphics tend to be linear.

Now, most try to put in replay value by adding secrets, collectibles, etc… But I imagine most people play through these games once, and then trade them in. Why would a publisher spend millions of pounds on a game that they can only make money off for two weeks after release before your sales are eaten into by pre-owned market?

Personally I feel like with PC and Steam there’s never been so many unique or interesting single-player titles, they just don’t have AAA budget graphicsDarKerR (gamertag)/DarKerR-UK (PSN ID)

GC: What you describe is exactly the reason why publishers are put-off single-player games, and why they’re so desperate for people to keep hold of their games – multiplayer being the primary tool they use to stop you.

Garden party
I am loving Plants Vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare. The gameplay and brightly-coloured maps are a pleasure on the eye and brings a smile to my face. Well, that is until I came to play multiplayer with fellow gamer Figeroon.

There is no possible way that we can find to set-up an Xbox party with friends and play together against other gamers. This is the only multiplayer game I know which stops you from setting up a party and playing together. EA need to sort this ASAP.

Does GC know if EA have any plans to fix this problem or does GC or anyone else know how to set-up a party with friends on Garden Warfare?SausageHogger

GC: That’s not something we could test at the review stage. Have you tried it since the new firmware patch?

Going PC
RE: Oz. I have Windows 8.1 on my laptop and Steam works perfectly for me, even better than Windows 7 which I have on my gaming desktop. Having a PlayStation 4 and a gaming PC (which I’ve just got into, as I always wanted a gaming PC) I’ve noticed a lot of minor things between consoles and PCs.

Details first, I find the attention to detail far better on PCs that are usually cut for the console versions, i.e., it be little things like buildings, trees, etc. My fave game on PlayStation 3 was Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, which I missed when I sold my PlayStation 3. Now I have it for OC and it’s better than ever.

Mind you, I’d advise a good processor, 3GHz or above to run it smooth and fast. Another thing is the online mode, when I was on PlayStation 3 it was hard to find an online match. Not on PC, every time I turn it on all the lobbies are full. Even the players on Steam are a great community, I got sent free downloads for in-game characters and free Steam keys off complete strangers. Still love my PlayStation 4 though.cosmic250 (PSN ID/NN ID/Steam ID)

Please give generously
Nintendo investor Seth Fischer’s recent comment about charging money to make Mario jump higher has annoyed a lot of gamers, myself included. I would never want to see Nintendo go down that path.

However, it must be kept in mind that Nintendo are a business not a charity and although I don’t agree with his comment, from a business perspective it makes sense and no one should be surprised by what he said.Squiff
You might remember my letter a little while ago that challenged why 3DS eShop asks reviewers to choose what gender they think the game most appeals to. I finally got round to asking Nintendo. Their stock answer response is below. We apologise for any inconvenience indeed! I can only hope my comments reach someone with a clue.Tim F

Dear Tim,

Thank you for contacting Nintendo.

We can confirm the particular question asked is to gather the gamers views based on their perception/experience of the game.

However, your feedback on the subject will be passed onto the relevant departments, but cannot guarantee the outcome with regards to your request. We do apologise for any inconvenience.

If you have any further questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind RegardsYour Nintendo UK Team

Touch! Generations 2
RE: Bouncer0304. Why do you think Nintendo have to convert existing games to smartphones? I don’t for a second believe that a Mario platformer could be played on a touchscreen. There are plenty of great games that use touchscreen controls though. I’m currently playing XCOM: Enemy Within and replaying The Walking Dead. Both these games would (and have) work perfectly with touch controls.

Neither do Nintendo have to use microtransactions. I seriously doubt they would let some shareholder who knows nothing about games suddenly make all their design choices as you say. If you have any faith in Nintendo then how can you not believe they could tread their own path on a new platform like smartphones?

No one is suggesting Nintendo make rubbish cash-in smartphone games. There is no reason on earth they couldn’t make a classic on any device or console if they wanted to.@PjDonnelli

Doomed to failure
I was in Leicester the other day and I popped in to the local Game World. It’s an indie chain that has but two stores, one in Leicester and the other in Hinckley. There I found a Dreamcast going for the very reasonable sum of thirty-five of your English pounds. The man behind the counter assured me it had been tested but was rather nonplussed when I told him that it seems to be the power cords that are the first thing to go on Sega’s little white boxes. Clearly the man had no experience of heartbreak.

But it works fine. Not exactly mint condition, though – it needs to be told the time and date every time it’s switched on (there’s something to make you feel old, the Dreamcast’s factory setting date is in 1998!) So, clearly my Dreamcast has Alzheimer’s. Never mind. There’s still plenty of life in the old girl (no, I did not cry of nostalgia seeing boot-up screen again) and I’m happily sailing through the Sega blue Skies Of Arcadia once more. The game’s still got it. It’s fun, witty and still oddly progressive even fourteen years on. 8 out of 10.

If you all would like, we could run a book on when my Dreamcast will pack it in. No money, just kudos points to win – as Metropolis Street Racer was fond of awarding. As many as a billion kudos points if you get the week, month and year all correct! If you get day and time, then gosh, that really will be impressive but I will suspect you of sabotage and therefore give you nothing.DMR
PS: In the shop, there were a few Dreamcast titles going. Project Justice was being sold for £55! Good job I held on to my copy, eh?

Inbox also-rans
XCOM: Enemy Within was number 1 in Xbox 360 charts this week, at my local Tesco. Not sure what’s going on there… But it got me thinking, how well did it do on consoles. Was it very successful, sales wise?Mr Curious

GC: We’re pretty sure shops just make those up. Neither XCOM did terribly well in terms of retail chart position (although the PC download fared better) but they were cheap to make and according to the lead designer, when we spoke to him, 2K were very happy with Enemy Unknown.

Got an email from Amazon stating they can’t give me a date for Dark Souls II PC release. Any idea what is happening to the PC edition? You can’t even pre-order the PC version on Amazon now. Getting worried now. Has it been binned?Bobwallett

GC: Dark Souls II has never had a release date on PC, Namco Bandai has just said it’ll be soon after the console versions. April was the last suggestion we heard.

This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Purple Ranger, who asks what’s your favourite and least favourite mini-game?

In this context mini-game means any part of a larger game that has completely different gameplay to the rest of it. So while obvious things like lock-picking and hacking mini-games count, so too do shore-horned in stealth sections and the like. We’ll also allow unlockable extra games that are otherwise completely separate.

Do you like the concept of mini-games in general or do you always groan when they start up? Why do you think developers include them, and which, if any, would you like to see expanded into a full game?